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By calling for an advance poll, Boris Johnson pretends to control the situation. REUTERS / Hannah McKay

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Thursday night that he would give Parliament more time to debate his Brexit deal, provided MPs agree to an early general election on December 12.

If MEPs want " more time to study " the Brexit agreement with Brussels, " they can have it, but they must approve parliamentary elections on December 12, " said Boris Johnson in an interview with the BBC.

The British Prime Minister is stuck. He absolutely wanted to leave the European Union on October 31, which will not happen, and he expects Brussels to give the UK a postponement of Brexit on Friday, probably until the end of January. By proposing to MPs to debate his agreement and his Brexit law until November 6, six days longer than expected, only if they agree to an advance poll, Boris Johnson is engaged in blackmail.

See also : Brexit: a vote by British MPs compromises an exit on 31 October

Above all, it is not in his power to call an election, recalls our correspondent in London, Muriel Delcroix . It is up to Parliament to decide by a vote and it must obtain two-thirds of the votes for it, while the leader has lost his majority. By taking this highly publicized initiative, Boris Johnson pretends to control the situation and regain control of MPs to make him forget that he is about to betray his repeated promise to leave the European Union in exactly one week .

For now the Labor Party is trying to buy time to think. He says he wants to wait to know the length of the extension granted by Brussels tomorrow. But it is suspected that Labor will not bite the hook, because although its leader Jeremy Corbyn wants an election, many in his party do not want a vote too soon, which is just before Christmas and while the polls do not favor him.

If he loses the vote on Monday for these early elections, Boris Johnson threat in any case to continue to try relentlessly and do nothing else. In short, the government would go on strike, because, in fact, Boris Johnson is currently trapped in Downing Street without room for maneuver.